Burnt to Ashes
by Rain7
Summary: After Lava and Rockets, Rommie leaves the Andromeda to find herself a new life and a new home. *Complete*
1. Burnt to Ashes

Burnt to Ashes

Disclaimer: Andromeda is owned by tribune, the story's mine and the song lyrics here and there are from Nullarbor Song by Kasey Chambers (the song used at the end of Roswells four aliens and a baby)

Spoilers: Lava and Rockets, it's set after that. 

Apologies to anyone who was reading Deviation, but it coincided with school and I couldn't continue it. This story however shouldn't be too long, a few chapters, I hope, and the schoolwork's easing off a bit. 

Summary: Rommie leaves the Andromeda and goes in search of a new home. With a few surprises! Please read and review! 

Last night I woke

with the stars looking back at me

Swallowing the sky

I felt no anger, I felt no shame

I felt no reason to cry

She'd done it. She had left, ran away. Left her home, her ship. She didn't take the Maru, Beka would never forgive her for taking her ship. 

She slipstreamed for as long as she could, until she knew she needed to stop for fuel. Then she found some backwater drift and that led her to her present location. Staring out a window, looking at the stars. 

She couldn't stand it any longer. Dylan and that women, how could he? How could he blindly disregard her feelings for him? Didn't he know, have even the slightest hint of how she felt? 

He was her hero, but he was everyone hero. And she wanted him to be her's.

She'd left him a message, just saying that she was resigning her commission, that she didn't want to be part of the mission anymore. She made it clear it was her choice and that he was to accept it and not to come after her. 

She considered staying here, a place called Nullarbor drift, a place where no-one knew who or what she was and no-one cared. 

She had a pilot's license, she could qualify for a cargo or passenger ships pilot job. Ferrying passengers and cargo from the station to the planet and back. Nothing difficult. 

Maybe she could make herself a new home. A place where she didn't feel love, and maybe, where she wouldn't feel pain. 

. . .

When the fire burns out here

It's brighter than the city lights

Warmer than a heart of gold

And dingo's howl just to break the silence

The sun comes up just to break the cold

About a month later

She was well used to the piloting by now. Mostly it was cargo, to and from the second habitable planet in the system. 

The planet had a lot of desert and a lot of poverty. Slavery was a common practise, if you weren't a slave you'd probably starve to death. In slavery you at least had a chance of food. 

Sometimes she'd have to wait for hours before her return flight to the station. Mostly she'd just sit and stare out at the desert, watching and listening. It was so silent. 

Sometimes she'd have to stay on the planet for the night and fly the next morning, depending on her schedule. 

There were always fires in the desert at night. Bright flames shooting into the sky.

And she'd sit and watch the sun rise.

It was on a cargo run back to the station that it happened. The internal sensors had been malfunctioning, she would have to get one of the companies engineers to take a look at it.

Thinking about that made her think about Harper, she missed him. He was so very good at fixing her. She missed his annoying jokes and comments. She missed them all, well, all except him. 

She didn't even want to think his name. For fear that it would reawaken something inside her, something she just wanted to kill.

She didn't want to love again, in any shape or form. She was afraid that if she did, she'd only hurt again.

When she realised something was wrong, she put the auto-pilot on and went to check it out. The ship had been modified to allow both passengers and cargo. She had no passengers today but she did have a big shipment of cargo. 

She walked around the bay. Examining the cargo. Everything seemed normal. Her own scanner showed nothing. She turned to head back to the cockpit.

There it was again, a small movement maybe. As she walked to the other side of the cargo bay, her scans became clearer. The cargo she was carrying was interfering. 

There was a heartbeat, faint but a heartbeat nonetheless. Her hand on her forcelance, she slowly made her way forward. 

The heartbeat was coming from a small cargo box near the back. She undid the latch and slowly, cautiously opened the lid. She was confident that she could incapacitate the person if they attacked her. 

She moved the lid off and peered inside. She was surprised by what she found. The light illuminated the human form. The small face was smudged with dirt and hidden behind dark hair. 

Rommie found herself looking at the small, unconscious form of a child. 

I close my eyes

I think of running water

I think of running away

But the fires burnt to ashes

And it's darker than before

But I can see as clear as day

. . .

What did you think? Good enough for a review? 

I was just checking my lovely TV guide to see when Andromeda was returning in the UK and Ireland, they've delayed it a week so we'd be behind the US. Curiously the episode are being shown in the following order, taking into account every second episode is supposed to be a repeat of the previous, with the exception of the first. Episode 1, eps 2, eps1, eps 1, eps 2, eps 4, eps 3. I'm hoping they made a really bad mistake, it's a bit bizarre. 


	2. StoryTelling

Burnt to Ashes

Thanks for the reviews so far! As for Rommie and slipstream, I thought she couldn't navigate either but I think she slipstreamed in one episode. If not, well I apologise for the error. I had spare time so I wrote the second chapter. 

Chapter Two

Rommie had carried the unconscious child into what was supposed to be her room. Where she ate and slept or at least, where she conserved energy. 

She laid the child on the bed, a girl with dark hair. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her face and hands smudged with dirt. 

Rommie found the medkit in a small cupboard, she didn't need it, it was for the passengers. The girl had a cut across her cheek, a red mark that stood out from her pale skin. 

Just as she was about to reach over and inject the girl with nanobots, she jerked awake and sat up. Her blue eyes searched every corner of the room, looking for all possible exits, the only exit being the one behind Rommie. 

Her gaze finally settled on Rommie and for a minute or two they just watched each other in silence.

While they were staring at each other Rommie managed to become very resolute. She would not let any feelings or emotions get in the way of her dealing with the problem of this child.

She stated calmly to the child, "You have boarded my vessel illegally and you will be handed over to the authorities on Nullarbor drift and most likely deported back to the planet of your origins."

The child, who looked maybe to be six or seven, now had a scared and puzzled look on her face. She had understood the first part but, "What does deport.. what does that word mean?" 

"It means you will be sent back to where you came from"

The girls eyes filled with tears and Rommie steeled herself, she would not feel pity for this girl, she couldn't afford to feel anything.

The girl spoke, stumbling over her words as tears slid down her cheeks.

"But.. I can't go back there, I don't have anyone to go back to." She paused, then added, "And Mommy said that Daddy lives on the drift, that he might be there"

The girl looked pleadingly at Rommie and she momentarily gave in.

"When we get to the drift we will try to find your father. If we find him you can stay with him but if we don't you'll have to go back."

The girl had stopped crying, she just sniffled here and there. She seemed happy with the outcome. 

Rommie decided that she had better clean the child up before they got to the station and heal the cut on her face.

The girl watched her warily to begin with but her tiredness overcame this and she babbled on to Rommie for a while.

"Mummy used to point to the sky and tell me Daddy was up there. She used to tell me stories about him while she was rocking Toby to sleep. My name Bridget. What's yours?"

"Rommie"

"When the sickness came to the crops, Mommy used to talk about Daddy more. She sent more messages to him. There wasn't much food then and Toby was very young, I couldn't really play with him but I rocked him."

"Mummy rocked him lots too. When he got really sick she held him all day and all night. He didn't cry much then, he was really quiet. Sometimes I wished that he would cry."

"I used to hold him when Mummy went to try and get food. I'd sing to him. Then Mummy came home, she didn't have much food, there wasn't much. She made something for us to eat and I kissed Toby goodnight. Then I went to bed."

"Mummy stayed up all night rocking Toby and singing softly to him. I stayed awake to listen. Mummy fell asleep when the sun came up. I think she had been crying. I went to kiss Toby good morning but he was asleep. Mommy woke up and told me Toby had gone to heaven."

"Some of the neighbours came that day. Toby was wrapped in a blanket on the bed. They buried him under the tree in the garden. Before he went to heaven I used to rock him there. It was quiet and in the shade."

"Not that long after that Mummy left again to find food. She said she'd be back before dark. I went to bed when I got tired though. She didn't come back next morning or the next day. There wasn't much food left." 

"Before she left, she told me that if she didn't come back, that I should go and find Daddy. I knew which way the city was but it took me a long time to get there. And I had to hide from the people on the road cos some of them aren't nice."

Rommie listened in silence to Bridgets story. Not really knowing what to say. The child was just trying to fill up the silence.

"And when I got there, I went to the place where Mummy used to say the ships went to the stars. And I crept really quietly past all the people and hid in the box you found me in."

She looked up at Rommie expectantly. Waiting for Rommie to say something about her story. Rommie didn't know what to say. Her story was so filled with sadness yet the girl was trying to be so brave. 

"Are you hungry?" Rommie recalled the girls comments about not having much food and about the famine. 

The girl nodded and Rommie set about looking for some food she kept stored in case she was delayed and needed to feed the passengers. 

She hoped that they'd find the girls father on the station and she didn't know what would happen if she didn't. 

They'd be at the station in an hour. Rommie gave Bridget some food. Not too much though, she didn't want to girl to be sick. She settled the girl down on the bed.

She looked sleepy and her eyes kept closing. As Rommie turned to leave, she said quietly, "I miss Mummy and Toby" 

Rommie wasn't sure what to say, she couldn't reassure the child. She didn't know what was going to happen. 

"Don't worry, we'll find you father. If you need me, I won't be far away"

She headed back to the cockpit, they'd be docking soon. 

How had this happened? How had she suddenly become entangled with the fate of this child? She had told herself she wouldn't let anything like this happen again. She didn't want to have to care for someone again. 

She heard Bridget say something. At first she thought she was talking in her sleep but then she realised it was a prayer of some kind. It was a simple rhyme.

"I would be true for there are those who trust me

I would be pure for there are those who care

I would be strong for there is much to suffer

I would be brave for there is much to dare" 

Rommie disengaged the autopilot, Bridgets words echoing through the ship.

Once upon a time, she had been a Highguard warship and those ideals were the ones she had lived by. And now she was no longer a warship and yet, those ideal still lived inside her. The past wasn't so easily forgotten.

. . .

Most of this chapter was about Bridgets past, as for the appearance of Dylan and co., it may happen but I'm not sure when. I hope your enjoying reading this because I'm enjoying writing it. At least it's a change from essay questions on Macbeth and Medea! Though who's to say Rommie won't get her revenge when Dylan does show up! 


	3. Friends

Burnt to Ashes chapter three

Once again thank you for the reviews, especially the grammatical advice, they don't teach us that kind of stuff in school. Anyway, I apologise for the long delay in the posting of this chapter. The reason - homework. Too much work and too few hours in the day! 

. . .

They'd been wandering the station for half an hour. Rommie kept pointing out people and asking, "Is that him?" and Bridget's reply was always no. From what Bridget had said she gathered that he worked as an engineer of some sort on the station. 

She decided to try the quarters of the station core workers, which were all in the one section of the station. They knocked on door after door but to no avail. Bridget was getting tired again and Rommie was just about ready to give up. 

There was only one last door in the corridor and Rommie rang the bell. The door opened and there was a man standing in front of her. She was about to begin with her now routine round of questioning, but the man spoke first.

"How can I help you?"

Just then Bridget spoke up from beside Rommie. "Hello Mr. Redner!" 

The mans gaze left Rommie and focused on the child by her side. He smiled.

"Well hello there, Bridget isn't it? Your one of Benn's little ones." 

"You know her and her father?" Rommie was relieved to know that she may not have to hand Bridget over to the authorities after all. 

"Yes, my family lives near them and I work with her father Benn."

"Can you tell me where I might find him?" 

The kind man gave them some directions and they were finally on the right track. Bridget was quite happy and was now skipping alongside Rommie, singing a little tune to herself.

They found themselves in another part of the station. 479, room 479. It didn't take them long to find it. Rommie lifted Bridget up so she could press the bell. 

The door opened like all the others but as soon as the person standing in the doorway was visible, Bridget flung herself into his arms. "Daddy, daddy, I've missed you!"

Rommie stood there awkwardly as the family reunion continued beside her. Bridget's father, Benn, seemed very surprised at the appearance of his daughter.

As they hugged, Rommie took a better look at him. He was tall, sandy hair, medium build. He looked to be in his late twenties, early thirties. 

Eventually he pulled himself away from Bridget who was clinging to him as if she'd never let go and invited Rommie inside. 

She was about to decline the invitation when she realised he probably wanted to know how Bridget had gotten here. She walked inside his quarters. They were spartan, a few chairs, a table, two doors probably leading to the bedroom and the bathroom. 

He gestured for her to sit and he sat down opposite her with Bridget sitting on his lap. And between her and Bridget they began to tell the story of Bridget's arrival at the station.

A while later...

"I got a message from Rachel when Toby died but then .. nothing. I got a friend of mine to check up on them but there was no-one there. Then Rachel was found in a hospital in the city. She had died of the fever. No-one knew what had happened to Bridget."

He had put Bridget to bed in his room and he and Rommie were talking. 

"You have a very resourceful daughter" He smiled at her, not the way Dylan used to smile at her, it was different.

"Thank you for bringing her back to me."

It was Rommie's turn to smile. "I think you've said that eight times already."

"Well as I said, I am very grateful."

There was an uncomfortable silence, broken by a cry from the bedroom. Benn rose to his feet. "She's probably having a nightmare, I'll go check on her"

He was back a few minutes later and he sat back down. 

"So, Rommie, tell me about yourself, how did you end up in a place like this?"

Rommie hesitated for a second, she wasn't sure she really wanted to tell this story or where to begin. And then she decided to start from the beginning.

"Well, my real name is Andromeda....."

She told him everything. Even about Dylan. It all just came together like one long Greek poem, she flowed from one part of her life to another. It seemed like hours before she was finished. 

There was a silence for a moment or two before Benn spoke. 

"Your adventurous life put my boring existence to shame. But it looks like neither of us have had much luck with life.

"I've lost most of my family and it seems that you have left most of your behind. But I have Bridget, and you have us. That is, if your going to stick around?"

He looked at her, waiting for an answer. She smiled. 

"I suppose I could stay around for a while, but now, I have to go. I have cargo to deliver"

Rommie stood up to leave and Benn stood up to walk her the few metres to the door.

"How about dinner, tomorrow night with me and Bridget?"

"Thank you, that sounds lovely"

Benn leaned on the doorframe as Rommie walked into the corridor. 

"See you tomorrow then"

"Tomorrow" 

She walked back towards her ship. She was happy that Bridget had found her father. She liked Benn. He seemed like a good person. And he was kind of cute. 

What?! What was she saying, the man had just lost his wife and son! What he needed most now was a friend and she could be that. She needed a friend too. 

She was beginning to realise now just how lonely she'd felt before meeting Benn and Bridget. Maybe it would be good for her to have friends. In truth she missed the others but she knew she couldn't go back. She didn't want to be what she had been then. 

Here she could make a new life. She could be something different. A person instead of an android and a warship. Maybe with Benn and Bridget's help that could be possible. Maybe.

. . . 

Okay, just to let you know there's only about two chapters left to go. At least, that's my plan. And yes, there will be Dylan and crew appearing somewhere but of course, I can't tell you when or where. Next chapter due Sunday/Monday approx. 

I hope you are still enjoying this story, and please read and review if you can. Comments, criticisms or strange facts all welcome. 


	4. Missing

Burnt to Ashes Chapter 4

Okay, this is going to be a short chapter, but it is the what I've had requests for - Dylan and the rest of the crew and their reactions to Rommie's departure. This should be followed, all things going to plan, by a longer chapter on Tuesday/Wednesday because I have the day off Tuesday. This does, however, mean that Wednesdays chapter won't be the last chapter as planned because this chapter was supposed to be part Dylan and crew and part Rommie. 

Six months since Rommie's departure... (yes, we've gone forward in time)

On the Andromeda...

He couldn't believe that six months had past. Six months and no word. She hadn't even let them know she was okay. 

They'd all reacted differently to her departure. 

Tyr had seemed almost indifferent, he did miss her efficiency though and her ability to keep Harper in check. Tyr had been the last person to spend any amount of time with Rommie and yet he could spread no light on her departure. 

Dylan had felt that maybe he was holding something back but Tyr maintained that he knew nothing. 

Beka acted as he had expected Beka would. Secretly sad and worried about her, but trying to keep the rest of the crew's spirits up by maintaining that she would come back and that she could take care of herself. She was a grown woman after all.

Trance.. well, it was hard to tell with Trance. She had seemed upset but was more concerned with Harper's reaction. He supposed they all were, it had affected Harper the worst, well, maybe with the exception of the Andromeda.

Harper was devastated when Rommie left. He felt that he'd now lost three of his friends, Rev, Trance (well, she wasn't the same to him) and Rommie. He was depressed. He spent long hours in his machine shop, working on anything he could find. He talked very little to anyone and completely ignored Trance now.

It was as if he blamed her in some way for all that had happened. Dylan tried talking to him, Beka tried talking to him. Even Tyr, though it didn't do any good. Eventually he stopped blaming Trance for what had happened but he placed his blame elsewhere. 

First it was on Tyr, for whatever it was that he must have done to Rommie that caused her to leave after they'd gotten back. He ignored him, refused to fix anything for him and generally tried to make his life hell. It lasted for over a month and no-one not Beka, not Trance who he had now begun to accept and not even Dylan could talk him out of it. 

Then abruptly it changed. He began to blame himself. He convinced himself that he had somehow driven her away, made her life unbearable enough for her to want to leave. He locked himself in his machine shop for days on end. Drinking whatever alcohol he could find. 

This lasted the longest Dylan thought. Harper just went from one extreme to another. And it was destroying his crew. Beka and Trance were constantly worried about him, trying new idea to get him to stop blaming himself. Nothing else mattered to them. 

Tyr was the one who eventually put an end to it. He went and talked to Harper, he was only in there half an hour. Dylan didn't know what was said. But Harper appeared back to normal very quickly. Beka and Trance were very relieved, so was Andromeda. 

But whatever it was that Tyr said is now very important because though Dylan was hoping Harper's blame would end, it didn't, it turned on him. He don't know what exactly it was he had done and he'd have been trying to find out from Harper but he's barely speaking to him. 

Dylan had never realised that they needed Rommie so much. But he supposed you never know what you had until you lost it. He wanted to know that she was okay, everyone did. If he knew why she'd left, then maybe he could fix things, make things better and she could come back.

He would have gone after her but the message was clear, she didn't want to be here and she wouldn't be talked out of it. Maybe Harper resents him because he let her go, like he let Rev go. Or maybe it is something else, the one thing he was not willing to face. 

That's why he wouldn't speak to Tyr. He was too afraid that Tyr would confirm his suspicions. 

As he considered this he thought 'What a fearless Highguard officer I am, afraid of the truth, afraid of emotions, afraid of love.

Maybe I do love Rommie but not the way I think she wants me to. So I pretend, I pretend I don't know. I didn't want to hurt her but maybe by trying not to hurt her, I managed to hurt her more.'

He missed her. They all missed her. He wished he could tell her how sorry he was. He wished he knew that she was okay. They all did.

. . .

Okay, if the tenses all sound wrong then it's probably because I think I started writing in first person halfway through and tried to correct it. I'm just really tired, I was at an Amnesty conference all yesterday. So I'm all for human rights, anti-racism and tic-tac hockey. Oh and please review! And thanks for all the reviews so far! 


	5. Family

Burnt To Ashes Chapter 5

Alright, I think that there is only one more chapter to go. At least that is my plan but plans of mine have a tendency not to go they way they should. Thank you all for your reviews and I hope you are enjoying the story. So, on with chapter five, at least, I planned this to be chapter five so you'll understand if it turns out to be my german homework. 

It had been six months since she had met Benn and Bridget. So many things had changed since then. She was still a cargo pilot but she only worked occasionally. She and Benn had worked it out so there was always someone there to look after Bridget and also so they'd have some time together. 

Sometimes when she'd wake up in the morning or at least turn her standby mode off, she would just sit for a few minutes, amazed at what had happened to her life, to herself. 

At first it was just friendship. She and Benn talked about things, she looked after Bridget while he was working. She hadn't wanted to become a replacement for Rachel. She didn't think she could be anyway, she was an android after all. 

But it wasn't like that. Gradually she developed relationships with both Benn and Bridget. Like the ones she'd had with her crew on the Andromeda. Only this wasn't a crew, it was a family. 

She had moved in with Benn and Bridget just over two months ago. She and Benn, well, their relationship had grown. She hadn't been sure if it was what she wanted. Their relationship had come to a standstill and she wasn't sure whether she really wanted to further it. Or if she knew how. 

Eventually Benn managed to get it out of her. Then he gave her a choice. They could leave it as a friendship, if that was what she wanted. Or it could go further. He was so understanding. 

It took her three days to decide and she felt she made the right decision. She thought she loved him, she was sure she loved him. Before she hadn't thought she could love, but she was wrong. She wasn't a warship anymore, she was a women. 

And their relationship did go further. Two months ago, he had proposed to her with the full consent of Bridget, of course. She moved in soon after. She had a good relationship with Bridget too. She was like a daughter to her. 

Gradually the empty feeling, the feeling of isolation and of loneliness disappeared. Bridget went to the station school. There were a number of children whose families lived on the station. Rommie began to make friends with the parents of the various children that Bridget was friends with. 

Bridget sometimes went to play in their houses and they came to hers. She and Benn socialised with some of the parents too. At first Rommie wasn't really sure what kind of situation to expect but with the help and support of Benn, they made some good friends. 

Everything seemed perfect. Well as perfect as any normal relationship. They had their arguments, big and little fights. She and Bridget sometimes fought and sometimes they said things that hurt. But always they made up. 

She had never realised how fulfilling it was to live in a family. To love and to be loved. Bridget had once asked her if warships could love and Rommie had told her no. But Benn had said that Rommie wasn't a warship, she was a women. And Rommie realised that it was true. 

So it was perfect. Rommie was the happiest she had ever been. She had considered contacting the Andromeda but she was afraid. She didn't want anything to jeopardise her new life, not even her friends. 

So she sent a message, scrambling the source and telling them she was safe and not to worry. (AN - she sent it after the last chapter) 

It was evening. Bridget was sitting at the table, doing her homework. Benn was cooking his and Bridget's dinner and Rommie was reviewing her schedule for the week .

Suddenly, the floor shook beneath them and cup and plates crashed off the counter. An attack, the station was under attack!. Benn ushered Bridget under the table. 

Suddenly all the com-screens turned on. She recognised the person, the face on the screen. It was the Drago-Katsov Commander, the one who had replaced Cuculainn. She heard his words and dread filled her heart.

"We have the station surrounded, Andromeda. Surrender yourself or be destroyed."

The station rocked again as a second volley hit it. Rommie's gaze swung from the now blank screen to her family, Benn and Bridget. If there was ever a time she needed a good plan, now was it. 

. . .

One more chapter to go - I think!

Please read and review! 


	6. Choices

Burnt to Ashes, Chapter Six

Okay, here we go, the actual last chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story, especcially: Troll99 for reviewing every single chapter and jenben for reviews and grammatical stuff! I hope you all liked reading the fic and I did enjoy writing it. So here is the last chapter, enjoy! 

"I have to give myself up"

It was the best thing to do, the only thing to do. Rommie was almost frozen with shock, why did this have to happen now?

"You can't give yourself up Rommie, remember you were once the most powerful warship in the known worlds, you must have a lot of information the Dragans really shouldn't get their hands on."

Benn's words brought Rommie back to her senses. He was right, she couldn't afford to be captured. 

"Then we have to get out of here, now"

Rommie went into her and Benn's room and from a locked drawer took out her force lance which she'd kept because there was always a danger of her ship being hijacked. 

Benn had grabbed some of Bridget's, his and her stuff, warm coats, some food, money, anything small and valuable. He stuffed this into a bag which he slung on his shoulder and he scooped up Bridget into his arms.

He looked at Rommie and nodded. 

"Lead the way"

. . .

The corridors were packed with panicking people, not knowing where to run, where to go. They struggled to make their way through the crowds. They passed by friends, acquaintances but they were all just faces, blurred now. 

They made it to the bay where Rommie ship was docked. There were people crowding into their ships, trying desperately to escape the station. Rommie couldn't take any of them on board, she was already a target.

They made it on board as another explosion rocked the station and another message appeared on the com-screens. 

"This is your last warning Andromeda"

Rommie manoeuvred the ship out of the docking bay and on to freedom. The Drago-Katsov ships were attacking all exiting ships, it seemed as if there was no escape. But Rommie was a skilled pilot, she managed to evade them in her small and manoeuvrable pod. 

They were free, but for how long?

She made her way to the nearest, safest planet she could think of. 

. . .

"You'll be safe here, they won't find you." 

"Then you'll be safe here too, with me and Bridget."

"If I'm here you'll never be safe, they'll never stop looking for me. 

I have to go back. Once they know I'm on the Andromeda, they'll stop looking and you'll be safe."

She was determined. She couldn't let anything happen to them. Benn sighed, he turned away looking to the horizon, searching for something, a light, an end to the seemingly endless darkness.

"Will you ever come back to us, to me?"

"One day, maybe. When it's all over, when I'm no longer a warship. When it's safe. Then I'll come back."

She began to cry, the tears, so many tears. He took her in his arms, her face buried in his chest. 

"You're not just a warship, you're not a warship at all, you're a woman, a wife, even a mother."

Rommie looked up into his eyes and saw tears there also, but something else an understanding, an acceptance of some kind. She knew what to say now. 

"And a mother will do anything to protect her family, even if it means dying for them or letting them go"

She looked towards the sleeping figure of Bridget, so small and innocent. She spoke through tears.

"And I have to let you go" 

Benn held her close though there was no comfort he could give her, no magic words he could speak that would take away the pain. 

"But you'll come back to us?"

"One day, when it's safe. Then I'll come back"

She slipped the ring, her wedding ring, off her finger and Benn did the same. They interchanged the rings, Rommie putting Benn's on the chain around her neck. Benn did the same with hers. It was a custom of Nullarbor. That when a wedded couple would be parted for a length of time they would interchange their rings. As a promise that they'd one day be back together.

Rommie knelt down beside Bridget, who, hearing her, opened her eyes. 

"Are you really leaving?"

She had been awake, Rommie realised. She had heard the whole conversation.

"I have to, I have to go. But I'll be back. Maybe someday soon, maybe someday later. All I can tell you is that I will come back and we'll be together again. I love you very much and I will always love you."

Bridget seemed to contemplate this for a while before replying.

"Once you told me that warships couldn't love, that they could only kill. If you go back there, back to being a warship, will you forget how to love me?"

Bridget's innocence and hurt was so openly portrayed. Her face like Rommie's was shining with tears reflected in the light. Rommie didn't know how to reply, because she didn't know the answer. But Bridget answered the question for her.

She took the bracelet she was wearing off her wrist and tied it to Rommie's. 

"Every time you look at this bracelet, you will remember me and Daddy and how you love us. If you always keep the bracelet then you'll never forget, ever."

Rommie knew the time was approaching for her to leave. She hugged and kissed a tearful Bridget goodbye. She reaffirmed her promise to return to them, to her family. 

Her family. She had never thought that her family would mean people like these and she remembered how she had once had a very different family. 

And she'd left them behind but now she was going back. Back to the life she had run away from, to protect the life she'd ran straight into. The life she now loved. It seemed ironic or maybe just bad luck.

She turned to Benn. To say goodbye. She recalled an old earth song that one of her former 'before the fall' crewmembers had listened to. What were the words again? 'Goodbye to you, goodbye to everything I thought I knew. You were the one I loved, the one thing that I tried to hold on to' and she recalled the line at the end. She spoke this one to Benn.

"And when the stars fall, I will lie awake. You're my shooting star"

Her kissed her and they shared a last embrace. She hugged both Benn and Bridget. He scooped Bridget into his arms as she picked up her pack. The colony was behind them, where Benn and Bridget would seek shelter for the night and the next morning Benn would find work. 

As she turned back to the pod, turned to leave, she noticed the fires out on the desert had gone out and as she piloted the ship upward, tears streaming down her cheeks and all she could see was darkness.

"But the fires burnt to ashes 

and it's darker than before, 

but I can see as clear as day" 

. . .

Beka was on the bridge when they got the hail, when Andromeda told her who it was, she couldn't believe it.

"Rommie?"

"Requesting permission to come aboard, the Drago-Katsov are following me"

"Welcome back, we missed you Rommie" 

Beka was in shock, she had to tell Dylan, the others. Rommie was back!

. . .

Things very quickly returned to normal. Well almost normal. Harper was very quickly back to his old self, though still quite hurt and Rommie was still trying to make it up to him, to all of them. She had abandoned her family, her home. Even the other Rommies were upset with her, they blamed it on her emotions.

Beka, Tyr and Trance were mostly just glad to have her back, though they were all curious as to where she'd been. She didn't tell them because she thought it would be too much of a risk for Benn and Bridget. 

Dylan was the only major difference in her life. He used to be so much of her, to mean so much to her, he still did, but now, she realised she was no longer dependant on him. She didn't love him anymore. 

Before he had been her heart, now her heart was all her own, and Benn's and Bridget's. And someday, when she was no longer needed for the cause, she would return to them. Her family.

But until then, she had another family who needed her and who were glad she was back and very determined to keep her here. 

And when she needed to remember, when she was afraid of forgetting, she had a ring and a bracelet, two reminders of love, the love of a child and the love of a husband. But she herself felt two loves - the love of a mother and a wife.

"If I'm not here in the morning,

I'll cry a river of tears,

I'll learn to live in a new town

But my heart is staying here" 

The End

. . .

It does turn out okay in the future, in case you are wondering. I can't be too specific about this but yes, it does end happily. 


End file.
